STAFF from St Joseph’s Hospice are celebrating after inspectors gave them a ‘Good’ rating – a little over a year after they were banned from taking on more patients.

The achievement represents a remarkable turn around by the Thornton-based hospice, which has gone up two ‘ratings’ in only a 14 month period.

It was only in August 2017 that the Care Quality Commission (CQC) told the hospice they could no longer take on more patients after it was rated inadequate due to concerns over safety.

Six months later another inspection found they had improved and the CQC allowed them to take on patients, but they were still given a rating of ‘requires improvement.’

A third inspection was held in August and a report was released last week showing how the hospice was given a ‘Good rating’, describing how it had “systematically improved in quality and performance.”

Inspectors also praised the hospice, and its senior management team, for sustaining the improvements seen at its previous inspections and noted that it has “continued to improve how medicines are given and recorded.”

The CQC inspected the hospice using its comprehensive inspection methodology which inspects five key areas – whether services are safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led.

During the unannounced three-day visit inspectors found that staff “cared for their patients with compassion” and “provided emotional support to patients and their relatives to minimise their distress.”

Patients and relatives also confirmed that the “staff treat them well and with kindness” and that “the staff involved patients and those close to them in decisions about their care and treatment”.

Mike Parr, chief executive of St Joseph’s Hospice, said: “I have never been in any doubt that St Joseph’s Hospice is a good hospice and the majority of our patients and families would agree with that. However, it is wonderful and really important that the CQC has also recognised this.

“We have built a fantastic team here and I am very proud of everyone who works at the hospice as this is a result of everyone’s hard work and dedication over the last two years. We should all feel incredibly privileged to work here.

“This rating comes at a brilliant time, just as we are looking to expand and develop the services we offer. We cover a very large geographical area and we want to reach out and support more people who would benefit from high quality end of life care and support services.

“We would like to thank all our patients, families and supporters who have stood by us over the last year. We quite simply couldn’t have achieved this without all of them.”